Doctor Fischer of Geneva or The Bomb Party

A novella from Graham Greene - always a good way to spend a couple of hours.

Set in Switzerland, our main character, Alfred Jones, is a humble clerk for a chocolate company. He meets and marries a young woman, Anna-Luise, and therefore crosses paths with her father, Dr Fischer.
Dr Fischer is incredibly wealthy, having invented a popular brand of toothpaste, but is a depiction of disconnected arrogance, and as portrayed by Jones -evil.

Dr Fischer and his daughter Anna-Luise have an estranged relationship - he shows no interest in her life, and in return she wants nothing to do with him or his toadies - who she refers to a toads. These people, who he regularly hosts at his ritual dinner parties, faun over Dr Fischer, while he makes scathing jokes at their expense, while offering gifts to satisfy their greed. His research in to greed, he calls it.

There are many features to the plot, and this book covers off a lot in its 150 pages, but I would prefer not to offer up spoilers for a relatively fast moving plot. It is probably not a novella to offer deep thought - it is fairly obvious in its plot. However it is a little dark, a little twisted, and a little entertaining.

4 stars.